


Lover, Hunter, Friend, and Enemy

by VagabondAngel



Category: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: College, Dark Magic, Established Relationship, F/M, Jealous Peter Parker, Light Angst, M/M, Protective Peter Parker, Roommates, Science, Superheroes, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VagabondAngel/pseuds/VagabondAngel
Summary: Peter Parker and Harry Osborn meet the Fantastic Four, and everything that could possibly go wrong, goes very very wrong.Featuring: Jealous and Protective Peter Parker, Reed Richards' Emotional Affair with Victor von Doom, and Johnny being Johnny.
Relationships: Harry Osborn & Johnny Storm, Harry Osborn/Peter Parker, Reed Richards & Victor von Doom, Reed Richards/Susan Storm (Fantastic Four)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Lover, Hunter, Friend, and Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to @sapphicgoggles for providing input and helping me out a bit with Harry's dialogue/voice.
> 
> Title of the fic is a lyric from "Love and War" by Fleurie, title of the chapter is from Frozen 2. 
> 
> I'm writing this fic without a definitive plan or plot, and just writing what comes naturally. So, I don't know when Chapter 2 will be done and I don't know what's gonna happen in the end. All I know is that I really love writing this.
> 
> Tags might change in later chapters, depending on what happens later in the story.
> 
> Enjoy!

Outside of Horizon High, on a bright summer day, thousands of excited teenage girls waited for the Fantastic Four to arrive. Sure, there were other people among the girls, but for the most part, the crowd was composed of energetic fangirls. Several of them held pictures and posters of Johnny Storm in their quivering hands. A few members of the crowd held copies of Reed Richards’ new book,  _ Journey into the Cosmos: A Scientific Journal _ , but for the most part, the front of Horizon High was surrounded by a swarm of screaming young Johnny Storm fans. 

Peter Parker and Harry Osborn stood at the edge of the crowd. Neither of them held any sort of Fantastic Four merchandise. Peter’s hands were stuffed into his pockets and he wore a deep frown. Harry’s arms were crossed over his chest and he stared at the crowd with an eyebrow raised in judgment. 

“This is unbelievable!” Peter exclaimed to Harry. He removed his hands from his pockets and threw them up in frustration. “Dr. Richards wrote one of the most impressive books to come out of the scientific discipline in the last ten years, and no one else here seems to care about that!”

Harry turned to look at Peter. “That’s not necessarily true, Pete. Look, that lady has a copy of Richards’ book!” He pointed to a scholarly-looking woman nearby. 

Peter rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, so there are a couple people here to see Dr. Richards. But most of these people don’t seem to care about him at all! They’re just here for the Human Torch!”

“Well, he is very attractive…” Harry admitted, the end of his sentence trailing off as he noticed Peter’s glare. Harry held up his hands defensively. “Just an objective observation, Pete!”

Peter pouted. His shoulders slumped. “Let’s just get this over with,” he muttered to himself and pushed through the crowd. 

Harry rolled his eyes, shook his head, and followed Peter into the sea of Johnny Storm fangirls.

* * *

Once Peter and Harry made it past the crowd, they bounded up the front steps of Horizon High and entered the main lobby of the school. Max Modell was there to greet them, along with his husband, Hector Baez. Max’s face lit up when he saw the two of them approaching. Beside him, Hector smiled warmly at the two boys.

“Oh, good, you’re here!” Max exclaimed, visibly excited. “I was worried we might have to send our special guests out there without a proper introduction!”

Hector put a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Nonsense, Max, you would have given a great introduction.”

Max blushed and nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Hector, I appreciate that. But none of that really matters now, because Harry and Peter are here to introduce the Fantastic Four!”

Peter’s smile faded slightly, losing just a touch of warmth. “I thought we were just introducing Dr. Richards,” Peter said, sounding a little disappointed. 

“That was the plan at first,” Max admitted. “But plans have changed. The entire Fantastic Four team is here to speak to the crowd!”

Harry’s face brightened, but Peter’s face fell completely. 

At that moment, a voice spoke up from across the lobby. “Max! Hector! It’s so good to see both of you!”

Peter and Harry turned simultaneously to see the Fantastic Four standing before them. 

Dr. Richards and his wife, Susan, approached Max and Hector with open arms. As hugs were exchanged, Peter took the opportunity to examine the famous superhero team. 

Reed Richards and Susan Storm were exactly as they appeared on their posters. Richards was a tall, thin man with dark brown hair and crow’s feet around his deep brown eyes. Storm was a beautiful blonde woman with icy blue eyes that looked like they could pierce Peter’s soul if he ever let his guard down. Even with a smile on her face, Peter could sense that the Invisible Woman was not someone that he wanted to cross. 

Ben Grimm looked a bit different than his poster. On the classic Fantastic Four poster, the Thing appeared to be a huge, hulking orange monster. In real life, Peter noticed that Grimm’s rocky exterior was slightly more brown in color, almost like he was made of actual stones, cobbled together and held in place by the power of cosmic energy. He was also smaller in person, but Peter made a mental note to never mention that out loud in front of him. While Reed and Sue exchanged friendly hugs with Max and Hector, Grimm hung back awkwardly. His rocky expression was hard to read. 

And then, there was Johnny Storm. The hot-head little brother of Susan Storm, and obnoxious Human Torch. Johnny shared his sister’s blonde locks, but his eyes were a much deeper, ocean blue. While Susan’s eyes were pure ice, Johnny’s eyes were gentle foam waves and soft sea breezes. He was absolutely mesmerizing. Standing slightly taller than Peter, Johnny carried himself with an air of confidence that Peter envied furiously. At only sixteen, Johnny seemed to be so sure of himself. He stood back with Ben as the two other members of the Fantastic Four greeted Max and Hector. 

Suddenly, Peter realized that Johnny was looking directly at Harry. A flare of jealousy ignited in Peter’s heart. 

Once the adults were done exchanging pleasantries and catching up, Max gestured to Peter and Harry. “Reed, I would like to introduce you to two of your biggest fans. This is Peter Parker, a star student here at Horizon High, and Harry Osborn, a former student of ours.”

Dr. Richards nodded and smiled warmly at the two boys. He reached out to shake Peter’s hand, and Peter found himself shaking his idol’s hand with clammy palms. Richards’ hand was large and soft and warm, and Peter could almost feel his soul leaving his body as he looked into his idol’s eyes.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Richards,” Peter said earnestly. “I’ve read all of your published works.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Dr. Richards said.

From somewhere behind Dr. Richards, Peter heard Johnny cough. “Suck-up,” Johnny muttered to himself, then coughed again.

Sue’s head whipped around at lightning speed and she sent her brother a sharp glare. “Johnny!” She snapped at him.

Johnny seemed to shrink into himself under the weight of his sister’s stare. “Sorry, Sue,” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

Dr. Richards chuckled. “I apologize for my brother-in-law’s behavior, Peter. He’s actually rather sweet once you get to know him.”

Johnny made a noise like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Hey, I’m not sweet! I’m tough and strong!” His face was very red. 

Ben rolled his eyes and clapped a hand on Johnny’s back lightly. “Sure, kid.”

Johnny crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the ground. He was mumbling something under his breath.

As Dr. Richards moved on to greet Harry, Peter took a closer look at Johnny Storm. Peter was starting to get the sense that Johnny’s public persona of confidence was actually not the true Johnny Storm. The Johnny that Peter saw in front of him was just a kid like him, not the cocky superhero that he pretended to be in front of his adoring fans.  _ Hm, interesting _ , Peter thought.

Once Harry was done introducing himself to Dr. Richards, Max stepped forward and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Reed, I thought that Peter and Harry would be the perfect candidates to introduce you and the rest of your team to the crowd outside.”

Dr. Richards nodded. “Sounds good to me, Max. I trust your judgment.” 

* * *

A few moments later, Peter and Harry were standing behind a podium at the top of the steps in front of Horizon High. There was a microphone set up on the podium, which projected their voices across the crowd and ensured that everyone present could hear them. 

“Hello, everyone!” Peter greeted the crowd with a smile and a wave. “Welcome to Horizon High!”

There were a few boos from the crowd. “Where’s Johnny?!” One young girl yelled loudly from the front of the crowd. 

Peter frowned and glared at the girl. 

Harry took the opportunity to lean towards the microphone and continue giving the introduction. “Horizon High is a special school for kids who are interested in STEM fields. Today, Horizon is honored to welcome Dr. Reed Richards.” As Harry spoke, the crowd seemed to quiet down. When Harry mentioned Dr. Richards, a few people clapped. 

“Dr. Richards, more commonly known as Mister Fantastic, is a scientific genius,” Peter picked up the next few sentences, happy to see that the crowd had calmed down a little bit as Harry was talking. “Dr. Richards has joined us today to discuss his latest work, a new book entitled  _ Journey into the Cosmos: A Scientific Journal _ . Again, we are absolutely honored to have him here today.”

Harry leaned forward again, as Peter stepped back to give him room to speak. “Not only will Dr. Richards be speaking to you today, but he brought along a few special guests for all of you! I think we’re all in for a really fantastic treat!” Harry grinned widely and gestured to the front doors of Horizon High. “Without further ado, I present to you, the Fantastic Four!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the Fantastic Four walked through the doors of Horizon High, stepping out into the bright sun. All four of them were dressed in their blue superhero uniforms. Dr. Richards waved to the crowd with a smile on his face, while Johnny held up his hands and made peace signs, like Richard Nixon. 

Dr. Richards approached the microphone, and Peter and Harry stepped back to allow him room to speak and gesture comfortably. “Thank you, gentlemen, that was a lovely introduction,” Richards said. “As these impressive young men stated previously, I am here today to speak with all of you about my latest published work.”

While Dr. Richards began to introduce his new book and discuss the research behind it, Johnny Storm approached Peter and Harry. “Hey,” he whispered to them, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. He was clearly putting on a false mask of confidence. Peter could see right through him. 

“Hey,” Harry whispered back. He smiled and gave Johnny a small wave.

Peter narrowed his eyes. “Torch, if you don’t mind, Harry and I are trying to listen to your brother-in-law speak, so if you don’t mind standing somewhere else, that would be great.” He kept his voice as low as possible to avoid distracting Dr. Richards, who wasn’t too far away from where he, Harry, and Johnny were standing. 

Johnny shrugged. “I can be quiet, Parker, don’t you worry about that,” he whispered.

Peter rolled his eyes. Somehow, he doubted Johnny’s ability to be quiet for prolonged periods of time. 

Unfortunately, Peter would never get the opportunity to see how long Johnny could be quiet. As soon as Dr. Richards finished speaking about his recent research trip to the far reaches of space, a commotion in the crowd erupted. 

Harry, Peter, and every member of the Fantastic Four grew tense as they watched the crowd react to whatever was causing the commotion. The sound of screaming people and the sight of all the distressed faces in the crowd set off Peter’s spider-sense. Peter’s hands clenched into tight fists. His sharp green eyes scanned the crowd for the source of the fear. 

As it turned out, Peter didn’t need to search for very long. 

Before any of the heroes could really react, a tall woman flew up from the crowd and hovered above the mass of people. Peter instantly recognized her as the scholarly-looking woman that Harry had pointed out to him earlier. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a tight, professional bun. Her eyes were framed by a pair of thick, round glasses. She wore a white button-up blouse, a black pencil skirt, and a cheap-looking pair of flats. She held a copy of Dr. Richards’ latest book in her hand, just like earlier. In nearly all aspects, she looked exactly like Peter remembered her from a few minutes ago. 

Except now, she was surrounded by a mystical purple glow and was floating above a crowd of innocent people. 

“Um, who is that?” Harry asked, stepping back in fear. 

“I am Victorious!” The woman yelled, her voice booming loudly over the crowd. “I am the Herald of Doom!”

Dr. Richards gasped and stepped back. His eyes widened in fear. “Doom?” He asked, staring up at the floating woman. 

Naturally, Peter stepped in front of Harry and shielded him with his body. Peter glared up at the woman and spread his arms protectively, to guard Harry from danger. 

Next to Peter and Harry, flames began to lick up Johnny Storm’s arms and legs. “Flame on!” He growled, bursting into flame. 

Peter and Harry both flinched and leaned away from the fire. 

Victorious turned her powerful gaze onto Johnny. She raised the copy of Reed’s book that was clutched in her hand. “I am Zora, last of the Vukovics. Proud daughter of Doomstadt!” As she held the book in front of her, the pages slowly disintegrated. The bits and pieces of the book fell away and floated gently away until there was nothing left in her hand. “I am here on behalf of Lord Doom, the leader of our rebellion! He will reclaim his rightful place as ruler of Latveria and get his revenge on the Fantastic Four!” Once the copy of Reed’s book was merely dust in the wind, Victorious stretched her arm towards Johnny, and sent a powerful blast of purple energy straight at him.

Johnny flew into the air to avoid the blast, and Peter tackled Harry to get him out of the way of danger. 

“Are you okay?” Peter asked Harry, looking down at his boyfriend, who was cowering under him.

Harry looked into Peter’s eyes, and Peter could tell that Harry was afraid. “I’m fine, Pete,” Harry said, although his voice was shaking. “What are we going to do?”

Peter looked up at Victorious. He saw that she was engaged in a fierce battle with all four members of the Fantastic Four. Johnny was sending blasts of fiery energy at her, but she blocked all of his attacks with purple forcefields. Reed, Sue, and Ben weren’t having much luck getting a hit on Victorious, either. 

“I’m going to change into Spider-Man and help the Four,” Peter said, watching the fight with sharp green eyes. 

Harry grabbed Peter’s arm. “No, Peter, Victorious is too powerful! You have to let the Fantastic Four handle this.” He looked up at Peter, his eyes filled with worry.

Looking between the fight and Harry’s concerned expression, Peter could feel his face contorting with the weight of making this decision. Should he join the fight, and potentially get seriously hurt or worse? Or should he stay out of it, and focus on protecting himself and Harry? Against every impulse in his body telling him to fight, the voice of reason and responsibility in his head told him to lay low and focus on protecting himself and Harry. 

Peter stood up, brushed himself off, and for a moment, pure terror flashed across Harry’s features. But the fear quickly faded when Peter reached down to help Harry get up. Once Harry was standing beside him, Peter turned to face his boyfriend. He put a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s find a good place to hide,” Peter said.

Harry smiled gratefully at Peter, and nodded with determination. Both boys quickly retreated to the relative safety of the Horizon High lobby. When they arrived in the lobby, it was dark inside and Hector and Max were nowhere to be found. 

“Hector and Max must have turned off the lights and gone outside to watch the speech with everyone else,” Harry observed. 

All of a sudden, Peter’s spider-sense started tingling, alerting him to immediate danger. “Harry, we need to get out of here,” he said, grabbing Harry’s arm. “Now.”

Harry looked at Peter in confusion. “Pete, what are you talking about? We should be safe here,” he said, pulling his arm out of Peter’s tight, protective grip. “Victorious is fighting the Four outside, and she would have no reason to come in here.”

Peter shook his head, looking at something over Harry’s shoulder. “Not Victorious,” he said. “Doom.”

Harry turned around to see what Peter was looking at. From the darkness of a nearby, unlit hallway, Harry saw a figure take shape as it approached him and Peter. Emerging from the darkness was none other than Victor von Doom. 

Covered head to toe in dark gray metal, Doom was quite an intimidating figure. Both Peter and Harry had only ever seen Doom in photographs and videos; they had never encountered him in real life. He was definitely scarier in person. Doom was a tall man, and Peter genuinely couldn’t tell if his height was an actual reflection of the man under the metal armor or if the suit added to Doom’s impressive stature. However, even without the height factor, Doom’s armor was intimidating. The mask that covered his face was made of the same dark gray metal as the rest of his suit, and a frightening face was carved into the material. It reminded Peter of a villainous robot that he had seen in a movie once. To complete Doom’s outfit, he wore a dark green cape that billowed, even though there was no wind inside of the Horizon High lobby. 

Peter narrowed his eyes, glaring fiercely at Doom. Next to him, Harry gulped and stepped back in fear. 

Doom’s real face was unreadable behind the thick metal of his mask, but Peter got the sense that Doom was glaring at them. 

“Where is Reed Richards?” Doom asked. His voice was even deeper than Peter expected it to be. It was muffled slightly by his mask, but still clear and loud enough that Peter could hear exactly what Doom was saying. 

Before Peter or Harry could respond, Johnny Storm crashed through the doors of Horizon High. He was still on fire. 

Doom didn’t visibly react to Johnny’s sudden entrance, but Peter and Harry both flinched.

Johnny quickly stood up and pretended to dust himself off, even though any dust on his body would have immediately burned up and disappeared. He spotted Doom, and his eyes became wide with surprise. “Doom?” He wondered out loud. “What the heck are you doing here?”

Doom’s head tilted to the side as he examined Johnny, who was still flaming. “Young Jonathan Storm, I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to see you again, but I am not the type of man to tell frivolous lies.”

Peter tore his gaze away from Doom’s impressive form to look directly at Johnny. “Torch, he’s looking for Dr. Richards,” Peter explained.

Without looking at Peter, Johnny nodded in acknowledgement. “You’re after Reed again, eh, Doom?” Johnny asked, putting his hands on his hips in a dramatic pose. “I hate to break it to you, pal, but he’s already  _ married _ . To my  _ sister _ .”

Doom growled and clenched his fists. “You impudent child,” he snarled at Johnny. “I should break every bone in your body, just to teach that bothersome brother-in-law of yours a lesson.”

Johnny grinned. Even through the flames, Peter could see the wide grin on Johnny’s face and the look of glee in his eyes. “If you wanna break my bones, you gotta catch me first, Doom,” Johnny taunted. On that note, he flew into the air and headed straight for Doom.

Harry put a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder. “We should step back and watch this fight from a safer distance,” Harry suggested, his eyes never leaving Johnny’s bright flame. “If the Human Torch needs our help, we can step in, but we should leave this to him for now.”

Peter looked at Harry, his expression somber. “Are you sure about this, Harry?” He questioned. “This is Doctor Doom that we’re talking about, and the Torch is only one hero! The rest of the Four are still out there fighting Victorious. The Torch has no one to back him up, except us!”

Harry glanced from Johnny to Peter, and back again. “I don’t know, Pete, Doom is way out of our league,” he said, watching Johnny and Doom exchange blows. “And anyway, this fight seems kinda personal.”

_ Well, Harry certainly isn’t wrong about that last part _ , Peter thought. There was a distinct ferocity in the way that Doom flung his dark magic at Johnny. Peter could almost feel the pure hatred radiating from Doom’s figure. It was intense.

Then, suddenly, Peter had an idea. “I know what to do,” he said, grabbing Harry’s hand. “Follow me.” Peter began to pull Harry down a dark hallway, towards the Horizon High classrooms. 

Harry struggled to keep pace with Peter. “Pete, what are you doing?”

Peter looked back at Harry, his eyes shining in the darkness. “I know how to help the Torch without putting ourselves in danger by facing him directly,” Peter explained. 

Harry’s brows furrowed in thought. “What did you have in mind, Pete?”

“You’ll see,” Peter said, leaving Harry in suspense for now. The pair reached an empty classroom, and Peter pushed open the door. The lights in the classroom automatically turned on as Peter and Harry entered. Peter immediately rushed over to one of the desks and began fiddling with a machine that had been laying on top. 

Harry approached Peter and peered over his shoulder for a closer look. “What exactly is that?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. “It looks like some kind of weapon.”

Peter shook his head. His eyes never left his work as he answered Harry. “Not exactly,” Peter responded. “It’s a time manipulation device.”

“Time manipulation?” Harry wondered out loud. “What are you planning to do with that?”

Finally, Peter turned to Harry and grinned. “We’re gonna freeze Doom,” he said, his voice raising with excitement. 

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise. “Pete, if you aim that thing at Doom, you’re going to have to be very careful,” he warned, looking at the machine skeptically. The device looked like a small cannon with brightly colored buttons on the side, which Harry assumed were different settings that the device could be set to. “Are you sure about this?”

Peter nodded firmly. “I’m absolutely sure,” he said. He sounded confident and sure of himself, but Harry still had doubts. There were so many ways that this plan could possibly go wrong. However, Harry knew that he had to trust Peter. If he wanted to help the Fantastic Four and defeat Doctor Doom, then he had to have faith in Peter. 

Harry nodded. “Okay, Pete. I’ll follow your lead.”

Peter could tell that Harry still had doubts about facing Doom. Even if it was in a rather indirect way, they were still putting themselves in danger by interfering with Doom’s plans. There was a risk. There would always be a risk, but that had never stopped Peter before. So, why should it stop him now?

“Come on, let’s go,” Peter said, heading back to the lobby with the time manipulation device in his hands. 

Harry sighed, shook his head, and followed Peter into the unknown. 


End file.
